Request ID: FOI-3555-2223 Date published: 25 April 2023
You asked
Dear Transport for London,
Could you please supply the bridge details/dimensions including cross sections for Bridge number NT24 Colindale avenue (Colindale tube station) in PDF format and any other document which shows utilies within the footpath and carriageway.
Bridge address: Colindale Ave, London NW9 5HR
We answered
TfL Ref: 3555-2223
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 29 March 2023 asking for information about bridge NT24 dimensions.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked: Could you please supply the bridge details/dimensions including cross sections for Bridge number NT24 Colindale avenue (Colindale tube station) in PDF format and any other document which shows utilies within the footpath and carriageway.
Bridge address: Colindale Ave, London NW9 5HR
Please see attached data sheet we hold and which provides you with the dimensions you requested. With regards to the location of any utilities, Colindale Avenue is not part of the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN) and the road is managed by the local authority in this case, the London Borough of Barnet – you can contact them for this information using the following link: https://www.barnet.gov.uk/foi-requests
In accordance with the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply the requested cross section drawings as it is subject to a statutory exemption to the right of access to information under sections 24 and 38.
In this instance the exemptions have been applied as disclosure of the information you have requested could assist persons wishing to disrupt London’s transport infrastructure by placing into the public domain information which would otherwise not be available via any accessible means.
The current threat level in the UK remains severe, and there have been attacks and suspicious devices found recently at transport hubs, including bridges, in London. The information you have requested on the cross sections of the bridge could be used by persons with nefarious intentions by identifying areas on the structure that are not easily visible that could be used as the location of an incendiary device. Provision of this information would reduce the opportunity for intervention as suspicious behaviour is more likely to be detected and apprehended if an individual cannot access information about security arrangements and structural information via the internet and instead has to physically visit a site in order to view and assess the security arrangements.
The Information Commissioner’s Office have issued a Decision Notice regarding the application of sections 24 and 38 to withhold information. Whilst the information requested in this case is different to the information you have requested we believe the same arguments can be applied:
The use of these exemptions are subject to an assessment of the public interest in relation to the disclosure of the information concerned. We recognise the need for openness and transparency by public authorities, and acknowledge that there is some public interest in this information from a public safety perspective. However, disclosure of this information to you has to be regarded as a disclosure to ‘the public at large’. This information could potentially be obtained and utilised by individuals who may wish to use this information to cause disruption or harm to London’s transport infrastructure. In this instance, minimising the risk to transport infrastructure and protecting the welfare of members of the general public outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
